The Installation of the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, will take place at Canterbury Cathedral on Wednesday 25 March 2026, the Feast of the Annunciation.
The Installation of the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, will take place at Canterbury Cathedral on Wednesday 25 March 2026, the Feast of the Annunciation.
Historically known as an enthronement, the Installation marks the symbolic start of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s public ministry in the Church of England and across the Anglican Communion.
Rooted in centuries of tradition, the service will look forward with the hope of Jesus Christ - and celebrate the diversity of the Church of England, the nation and the Anglican Communion today.
Archbishop Sarah will be installed on the Cathedral Chair (Cathedra) as the Diocesan Bishop of the See of Canterbury, the oldest diocese in the English church. Following this, she will be installed on the Chair of St Augustine (St Augustine Cathedra) as Primate of All England, which also symbolises her ministry in the Anglican Communion.
The Feast of the Annunciation celebrates the day the Angel Gabriel told Mary she would be the mother of Jesus.
Details about the Installation service will be shared in the lead up to the service.
Bishop Sarah remains Bishop of London until her Confirmation of Election at St Paul’s Cathedral on 28 January 2026, at which she will legally become the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Until then, as well as preparing to begin her ministry as Archbishop, Bishop Sarah is fulfilling her remaining commitments as Bishop of London.
Sarah Mullally has been the Bishop of London since 2018, the first woman appointed to that role, and before that was Bishop of Crediton in the Diocese of Exeter. Prior to her ordination in 2001, she was the Government’s Chief Nursing Officer for England – the youngest person ever to be appointed to that role at the age of 37 – having previously specialised as a cancer nurse. Bishop Sarah has described nursing as "an opportunity to reflect the love of God".
The Crown Nominations Commission (CNC) for Canterbury nominated Bishop Sarah following a process of public consultation and prayerful discernment that began in February this year. The Canterbury CNC was made up of representatives from across the Church of England, global Anglican Communion and the Diocese of Canterbury.
The most senior bishop in the Church of England, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s ministry combines many roles including serving as the Diocesan Bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury, Primate of All England and Metropolitan, as well as primus inter pares - or first among equals - of the Primates of the global Anglican Communion, which consists of around 85 million people, across 165 countries. In the House of Lords, the Archbishop of Canterbury is one of 26 bishops who comprise the Lords Spiritual.
Bishop Sarah said: 'As I respond to the call of Christ to this new ministry, I do so in the same spirit of service to God and to others that has motivated me since I first came to faith as a teenager.
'At every stage of that journey, through my nursing career and Christian ministry, I have learned to listen deeply - to people and to God’s gentle prompting - to seek to bring people together to find hope and healing.
'I want, very simply, to encourage the Church to continue to grow in confidence in the Gospel, to speak of the love that we find in Jesus Christ and for it to shape our actions.
'And I look forward to sharing this journey of faith with the millions of people serving God and their communities in parishes all over the country and across the global Anglican Communion.
'I know this is a huge responsibility but I approach it with a sense of peace and trust in God to carry me as He always has.'
Lord Evans, Chair of the Crown Nominations Commission for Canterbury, said: 'It has been a great privilege to have chaired the Crown Nominations Commission as it sought to discern who God is calling to lead the Church of England and Anglican Communion as Archbishop of Canterbury. That discernment began with the public consultation, which heard the voices of thousands of people as they expressed their hopes for this nomination, and continued all the way through to the Commission’s final meeting. I would like to thank all those who took part in this process, particularly those who took time to share their views in the consultation and the members of the Commission who worked so diligently over several months, ably assisted by the Appointments Secretaries and by the Appointments and Vocations team at Lambeth Palace. I shall be praying for Bishop Sarah as she prepares to take up this new ministry in the coming months.'
Welcoming the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury
I am delighted that His Majesty The King has approved the nomination of the Rt Revd and Rt Hon Dame Sarah Mullally DBE for election as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury.
I invite the churches of the global Anglican Communion to pray for the archbishop-designate as she prepares to take up this important ministry.
The book of 1 Peter, invites us to use the gifts we have received to ‘serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms.’ I pray these words will be a guide to the archbishop-designate, as she serves the life of the Anglican Communion in its diverse settings.
Around the world, through deep bonds of friendship and cooperation, Anglican churches are sharing the hope of the Gospel and working for the common good.
Many churches in our global family operate in difficult circumstances, where issues like war, climate crisis, poverty and inequality heavily impact their communities.
In some places, the bonds of our Anglican Communion are strained. There are areas of disagreement and disunity between our churches that need God’s healing.
In all of this, may God grant the archbishop-designate wisdom and discernment, as she seeks to listen to member churches, encourage mutual support, and foster unity.
As the official Secretariat to the Anglican Communion, the Anglican Communion Office is fully committed to supporting the archbishop’s ministry, as she works with the member churches and other instruments of the Anglican Communion: the Primates’ Meeting, the Anglican Consultative Council and the Lambeth Conference.
Together, let us pray that God will pour out His Spirit on the Anglican Communion to boldly share Christ's transformational love and actively pursue the full visible unity of God's church.
See the announcement on the Anglican Communion News website.
Learn about the nomination process for the Archbishop of Canterbury.
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